Impossibly Yours, Captain
by LizzeXX
Summary: Clara/J(OC) – Clara Oswald entered the time tunnel, human, and came out not only a Time Lady once more, but the Link of J, AKA the Captain, Evy Daniels and the Doctor's son. How will their relationship fare? What challenges will they face as Clara struggles to cope with her echo-selves' memories? And how will Angie and Artie react to Clara's "boyfriend?" Based on my Lunar Cycle.
1. The Beginning

A/N: Salutations! Lol :) This is going to be a collection of one-shots based around an OC from my Lunar Cycle story, J, AKA the Captain, the son of the Doctor and my OC Time Lady Evy Daniels, and his Link, the newly realized Time Lady, Clara Oswald ^-^ This will feature J/Clara (Jara) adventures and moments and challenges they face in helping Clara understand and come to terms with her Time Lady heritage and memories while also exploring the growing relationship between them as romantic-Links :) I would recommend reading The Lunar Cycle to understand what Linking is and how Clara Oswald is a Time Lady.

~8~ is a scene break

'_italics_' is telepathic communication between Time Lords

I imagine J/the Captain to look something like James McAvoy and be on his first incarnation :)

As I will be starting a 4th spin-off (for the Heart of Time Saga) in about a month and a half, this story will be updated once a month. If anyone has suggestions or ideas for adventures or moments they'd like to see played out between J and Clara just drop a review and I'll consider them for chapters :)

Disclaimer...I do not own Doctor Who...depsite wishing I did.

Enjoy!

~8~

The Beginning

"Where are we?" Clara asked, smiling widely even as she was led, blindfolded, somewhere by J. Well, she would be smiling, wouldn't she? He was right behind her but a bit to the side, one arm wrapped around her waist, another holding her right hand, she could feel the warmth of his body against hers, and…she could feel it inside her, how he was grinning as well.

And it was a surprise!

They'd just come from a rather complicated event involving the Doctor and his last incarnation, not a good thing to have their timelines cross like that, but the men seemed to know what they were doing…

And Evy was there, bless her.

Evy'd actually taught her quite a lot about timelines and crossing them, what was allowed, what wasn't, what was a stretch and what could NOT happen under any circumstances…like letting the Doctor have too much sugar. J had been no help at all, he'd been as excited as his fathers (oh that was weird to say) to get into the adventure. But there had been moments where she really saw Evy's caution in him. And…there were other moments where he was just…amazing to her. She'd met Rose as well, the Doctor's first companion after the war according to J, but, thinking on it, J hadn't seemed very fond of the woman.

It had really just been one big old complicated mess of things that had, luckily, resolved itself in the end. But it had been a rather trying and emotional journey and J seemed determined to take her mind off of it. He'd been a bit…down earlier, very quiet and solemn at the start of it all, wouldn't even tell his parents what was wrong, he'd told her though, not that he had to, she had a direct link to his mind but she was still getting used to that, that second set of thoughts and that lingering tingle that was his mind. He'd told her the moment she'd sat him down to ask what was wrong.

And it was simple too.

And rather sweet.

He'd been upset because he'd promised to take her on a date after they'd left River's graduation, Lake District, and things had just escalated the moment they'd gotten back to the TARDIS, his parent's TARDIS, and they'd been flown off to deal with everything. The date hadn't happened and he'd felt so terribly that he'd promised her a date and broken it. She'd laughed and given him a tight hug for it, reminding him he'd promised her a _date_, but he hadn't said when, that he could still keep his promise when the adventure was over and he had.

He'd told her to get dressed in something casual but nice and run off to get things ready. They'd still been in the Doctor and Evy's TARDIS at the time and the Time Lords had dropped them off, J being very specific that HE should set the course, really wanting it to go correctly, which had made the Doctor pout till Evy kissed him. As soon as she'd entered the console room he'd run to her side, tied a cloth over her eyes and asked her to trust him. How could she refuse that? So she'd taken his hand, laughed as he called goodbye to his parents, jokingly telling them not to wait up, before he led her out.

It was chilled out the doors of the TARDIS and there was the smell of rain in the air, oh she loved rain, there was just something about getting caught in it, like it washed your troubles away. And she'd always been one for making a bit of a mess as a child, loved hopping in puddles and things. Luckily though, she'd dressed in a simple red, turtle-necked jumper and black trousers. She'd only caught a glimpse of J though, he was wearing a blue button down shirt that brought out his eyes even more, and jeans, his hair as sticky-uppy as ever. It was odd though, she knew it was chilly and that, even with her long sleeves and J being so near, she ought to feel colder.

"Time Lord physiology," J murmured in her ear, making her gasp at the unexpected drop in volume and shiver at the sensation, just knowing he was grinning even wider for it, "We can endure a bit better than humans in extremes. Tundras, deserts, things like that."

She nodded, that sounded vaguely familiar to her. And she had noticed the Doctor and Evy never seemed as affected by heat or cold.

"Please tell me where we're going," she turned her head as though to look up at him.

He laughed and tapped her nose, "It's a surprise Clar," he reminded her, "Hold on," he gently tugged her to a stop, shifting beside her as she heard a bell ding as a door was opened, "After you," he led her inside.

"Can I take this off now?" she asked, nearly buzzing with excitement, she could hear people talking and smell the most delicious food, but she wanted to see it too.

"You can…" he began, reaching out to take her hands before she could touch the cloth though, "For a price."

"And what'll that be?" she asked and he just knew she was lifting an eyebrow at him, "Travelling with you lot, I've stopped carrying money."

J just lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it, "I'm sure I can think of something."

Clara smiled at that, starting to blush, knowing that everyone else must have seen him, seen them being sweet, but she didn't mind, "Hmmm…" she hummed, as though thinking of what she could offer, "I could…bake you a soufflé…"

"Mmm," he grinned, "Love soufflés."

"Or do you just love soufflé girl?" Clara joked.

"Both," he said instantly, before starting to sputter, "I mean, I…I like soufflés and soufflé girl. It's not like I don't love them, but I just…"

Clara's laughter cut him off, "We're past that Cap'n," she reminded him.

They'd talked on the TARDIS about their already existing and growing feelings for each other. They'd both had crushes on the other, felt drawn to each other, before they'd even realized they were Links. But J seemed completely certain that he'd scare her away if he kept bringing up how he already felt about her.

She understood though, why he was so sure he loved her already, even though they'd only Linked a short while ago. He'd known her his entire life, she wasn't a stranger to him at all. And, when she'd first met him, (as far as she knew, she was still working out her own memories and J's), he'd been in Luna University. They'd run into each other at times, but that was years and years, decades, possibly even centuries apart. He'd known her for over 350 years, he'd had interactions with her as his older self for nearly a century (or so it seemed, she still wasn't quite sure where she popped up between the University and now, not counting the times she'd already met him). He'd had much more time to think on her and learn about her and feel for her, where as she had only known LJ about a couple months and known _him_ even less since she'd only met his older self about 3 times before they'd Linked.

In his mind, his feelings were understandable, he'd had more time to think about her and for the feelings to grow, and, being a natural-born Time Lord, he was more aware how the Link worked. But what she knew that he didn't seem to understand was that, time was one thing, emotion was another and that logic had absolutely no place in love. Yes, he'd known her longer, technically…not counting the different hers running around that might have bumped into him or known him longer…but…you could love someone longer than another but that doesn't mean the other person doesn't love someone more.

She was fairly sure that she loved him as well. He'd had time to think on her, she'd had nothing but him in the back of her mind since she'd met him. She'd been dreaming of him, in a way, since she'd been born, waiting for him for 26 years. Having met him, she hadn't stopped thinking about him, dreaming about him, wondering about him. Time meant nothing when it came to how you felt. To others, it might seem sudden, but she couldn't help but feel like it was just so right to love J. She'd had a crush on him for ages, dreamt of him longer than that, and now…to be Linked to him, to see in his mind and feel what was in his hearts it just pulled her in more and more and more. If she wasn't already in love with him, she was very very _very_ close.

There was no way, in her mind, nothing at all that he could ever do, that would drive her away from him.

Especially not him saying he loved her.

She always got a thrill through her when he did that. When little words like that slipped out. He was such a remarkable man, so wonderful and amazing and…to know he loved HER? Well that was the most amazing feeling in the world, to look at him and see him gaze at her with love and fondness and devotion in his eyes. It always took her breath away to see that look, how utterly…_hers_…he was. She was sure he could see the same in her eyes though.

"Oh yes," he whispered, leaning in, his nose brushing against hers, making her breath hitch at the small Eskimo kiss he'd bestowed on her.

"I could give you a smack," she joked, completely joking.

She'd seen Evy whack the Doctor upside the head, and…that was fine for them. The Doctor as a bit daft and sometimes he did need some sense literally knocked into him, but J…he was every bit Evy's son as he was the Doctor's. Yes he got a bit too excited at times, but he always seemed to have Evy's sense of rationality to him. And she couldn't ever see herself hitting him, well, playfully on the chest or arm was one thing, but not really smacking him. Why the Doctor seemed to enjoy the smacks so much she didn't know and wasn't sure she wanted to.

"I was thinking something a bit more…intimate," he whispered to her, loving the blush that was now permanently flushed on her face.

He'd never been able to do that before. Really and truly flirt with someone and actually mean it. To not have to make it platonic or joking but to really…show his affection in his words. It was amazing. And that blush, seeing Clara blush like that, knowing HE was the one who made her blush and that he was likely going to be the only one to do so…sent his hearts racing.

"What sort of girl do you think I am Cap'n?" she nudged him, laughing.

"My sort of girl," he told her gently, reaching out to touch her cheek, stroking it with the back of his fingers, "My Impossible Girl."

Clara smiled softly at that, before reaching up to take his hand, just holding it, not pulling it away, "Well then, I don't see why I shouldn't give my Captain a treasure then."

He beamed as she pushed herself on her toes and…gave him a kiss on the cheek.

She laughed when she set herself back down, just knowing that he was pouting at the moment, "That's what you get for apologizing for saying you love my soufflés," she whacked him lightly on the stomach.

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck, "Deserved that one."

"Can I please take this off now?" she gestured at the blindfold.

He laughed, "Hold on one moment," he reached out and took her shoulders, gently turning her around and reaching up to pull the cloth off himself, "Ta da!"

Clara blinked a bit, before looking around, it wasn't Lake District. But…it was very familiar. She looked up at one of the signs and stared, it was a quaint little Italian restaurant that her parents used to take her to all the time when she'd been a little girl. She always came there every few months even now. Her father had stopped taking her there when her mother had died, understandably so because it was also the place that they'd had their…

First…date…

"Did you…" she began, her breath leaving her as she saw it, saw_ them_.

There, in the back corner, was her mother and father, much younger versions of them, sitting down to a dinner.

"Oh my stars," she breathed, staring at them with wide eyes, completely stunned. She recognized this now, their clothes, this place, the weather outside…this _was_ their first date.

"I um…" J began, tugging on the end of his ear as Clara turned her gape at him, "Mum was thinking, before you woke up, that…well, there are _a lot_ of similarities between you and mum and me and dad and the way we found each other. And that's great, you know, because mum and dad are…" he shook his head, "Happy, really, _really_ happy, and they'll be happy for ages after, ages and ages, and…" he took her hands, "I want that. I want that with you Clarana," he said softly, making her heart pound at hearing her Gallifreyan name, "I think it's brilliant that we're so similar to mum and dad but…" he glanced at her parents, "But it shouldn't be just about me and my parents, not ever," he looked at her, "It's about YOU. It's about you and me, more a about you really because I'd do anything for you Clar and I just want you to be happy so I thought I could bring you here and that maybe, instead of me and mum and dad, it could be you and your mum and your dad and that it would be nice, be a nice way to honor them, by having our first official date the same place, maybe even the same night, that they had theirs and I'm sorry if it upset you to see them, I just, I know the first page in your book was the leaf that brought them together," he grimaced a bit, "Can't really take you there since mum and dad and younger me were there, but I though this could make up for it a bit and I'm really so sorry if I…"

He was cut off by Clara suddenly jumping at him, hugging him tightly.

"Oh," he nodded, wrapping his arms around her just as tight, starting to smile, "Right. I like this."

Clara laughed and pulled away, her hand on his cheek as she looked at him with tears in her eyes, "What did I ever do to deserve you?" she asked, smiling widely so he would know she wasn't upset.

He shrugged, "I think I should be asking that question," she started to shake her head at that but he gave her a sad smile, "I've done things Clar," he whispered to her, "Things I'm not proud of, things that I know had to be done. I've hurt people in the past and…I am my father's son," he warned her, "There's…a darkness…in us both, the war it DID change us, the Time Lords, right to the core, made us just that little bit less kind. You," he started to smile again, "You are so lucky that you were born human here, to those great people," he looked at her parents again, "I don't think you have that darkness Clar. So really, the question is, what in the Universe did I finally do right to deserve you?"

Clara looked at him softly, understanding, "Let's just say we deserve each other Cap'n."

He laughed, "I like that."

"Well _I love_ it," she winked, sniffling as she wiped her eyes, "Now, come on," she took his hand, "I'm starving and you promised me a date!"

He laughed heartily at that as she pulled him into the restaurant, right to a little table that gave them a view of her parents, ready to start their date.

~8~

Clara had_ never_ laughed so hard in her life or enjoyed herself more on a date than this one. There were a few she'd been on, her friends setting her up, but…it had always been awkward and full of silence and the most random conversations…and that was exactly what this was too.

J was adorable in how awkward he was trying to act normal around humans. It seemed that he was a bit too much like the Doctor in that regard. Evy had mentioned once or twice that she had lived among humans for quite a few years, blended in perfectly, so well that the Doctor hadn't even realized she wasn't one. But it seemed, being around the Doctor and in the TARDIS for so long had let it slip her mind to instill those skills in LJ. It was also a bit odd since River was his best friend and she was technically half human. But she supposed it was the 'also being half Time Lord' that did it too. He was so cute in how he commented and started talking to people at other tables, just gobbing on and on, and complimenting her in the middle of such random things.

He'd literally gotten up and stepped over to a lovely old couple and said, "Hello, I'm the Captain, might I borrow your ketchup? I'd like to put some on my sandwich and it matches my Clara's jumper perfectly, though red looks better on her than me, well everything looks better on her than me, especially skirts, dresses too I'd imagine, haven't really worn a dress, but that's a thought. Thanks for the ketchup!" and taken the ketchup, sauntering back over to her and putting it on his sandwich as she shot the couple an apologetic look and tried to determine whether she should laugh or blush at that.

It had been full of silence too, as ironic as that was given whose child J was. But as soon as the food had come out he'd quieted down and eaten it and, for the first time on any date she'd ever had, it wasn't an empty silence. They smiled at each other and he made faces and, though they had both quite forgotten they could read each other's minds, they seemed to have a conversation all their own just with looks and subtle touches. And that meant the world to her to know that she had that sort of connection with someone else. It gave her time to just appreciate the moment and the memory she was creating with him.

Their conversations had been random as well, J did love a ramble. He could go from talking about goldfish to TARDISes to cookies to hats in one breath. Which amused her to no end, especially because she could see his thought process, exactly how he got from one to the other and it gave her a deeper understanding of his mind and how it worked. She found it remarkable the connections he made and she'd found herself jumping into the conversations with ease and it was wonderful to know that they could talk about literally anything at all and have an amazing time of it.

Right now though, she was laughing harder than ever…because J had ordered them dessert, chocolate cakes (because he touchingly refused to eat anyone but _her _soufflés) with vanilla ice cream scooped on top of it, the two of them enjoying it after he'd paid with a card his 'Uncle Jack' had insisted he keep for whenever he found himself on Earth and needing money. And, in manner befitting his younger self, he'd gotten it smeared all around his face and was just grinning at her. She laughed and handed him a napkin to wipe himself off with, it was cute when he was a baby, but she was _not _wiping his face off as a grown man. J was different than the Doctor in that regard, the Doctor acted so much like a child at times that it was understandable that Evy would 'take care of him' more. But J was more like an excitable adult. He could and had taken care of himself, but she would be right there to offer him what he needed to do it.

He sighed, "Didn't think that would work either," he remarked, wiping his face off, "Good?" he gestured at himself.

Clara shook her head, still chuckling, before she reached out and wiped the corner of his mouth where a little bit of ice cream still was with her finger. She smirked mischievously and ate the ice cream from her finger, trying her hardest not to giggle at the sight of him staring at her like a fish, his eyes wide, mouth open, it was _adorable_!

She…she had to admit, she loved the fact that she had such an effect on him. She'd found herself watching him when they were together, his expressions, his mannerisms, and she'd noticed one thing in particular. He always seemed so much more affected when it involved her. When she smiled he beamed, when she giggled he laughed, when she was sad he looked like the TARDIS had just died, when she was scared he went all 'tall dark hero' on her which made her shiver in delight. She'd never had someone so focused on her before, like…her happiness meant everything to him. Like he wanted her to feel safe and loved and cherished…which she did.

She really, really did, when he was around her.

She knew, with J around, that nothing bad would ever happen to her, because he'd protect her, and she could protect him as well. She was born to save the Time Lords after all.

It made her feel…special as well, to know he was so aware of her, to know she could sway him with just a look, calm him with just a touch. It made her feel…powerful. J was amazing, incredible and dangerous and brilliant, like his father was. He was like a ball of raw energy, powerful and burning and uncontrollable…but SHE could control it. It was…empowering to know that she could temper the hurricane that was the Captain. And to see him react so around _her_, made her feel…just so…special.

"Best date ever," she smiled at him, reaching out to take his hand, squeezing it.

He grinned and kissed her palm, "Till the next one," he winked at her.

"I'll hold you to it," she smirked.

"Then I shall have to rise to the challenge."

"Oh no," she laughed, "I can only imagine what could top this," she squeezed his hand again growing serious, "Really Cap'n, thank you," she glanced over at where her parents were, as she had been watching them periodically, and started laughing, "It's fate," she murmured.

J gave her a curious look and turned to look over his shoulder at the new couple, and started laughing as he saw Clara's mother wipe a bit of pasta sauce off the corner of her father's mouth and do just as Clara had done, her father having the exact same reaction as he had, "Brilliant," he smiled, turning back to her, "Doubly good sign for us eh?"

"We don't need a sign," Clara shook her head, though she couldn't stop smiling, loving how this entire date had gone, best night of her life, well, aside from Linking to J.

"Nah, we don't," he agreed, squeezing her hand once more time, "Come on," he nodded, getting up and moving to help her up.

"Oh ho ho," Clara laughed at that, "Being a proper gentleman, what would your father say?"

"I won't tell if you won't," he winked at her, draping his arm around her shoulders before they turned to leave, only to bump right into Clara's mother.

"Oh my stars!" the future Mrs. Oswald gasped, "Sorry, I'm sorry," she smiled apologetically, "I just…I couldn't help but notice you," she began to Clara, "And I just wanted to ask…have we met?" she wondered, "You look really familiar…"

Clara blinked, a bit stunned, and glanced at J who could only shrug, not sure what to say to that, "Um…" she turned back to her mother, "I don't think so no, I'm Clara," she reached out a hand to shake her mother's.

"That's a lovely name, Clara," her mother smiled, thoughtful, before shaking her head and reaching out to return the greeting, "Ellie. Sorry but are you sure we haven't met?"

"She's just got one of those gorgeous faces," J winked at Clara, making her blush and lightly whack his chest.

Ellie laughed, "He's a keeper," she whispered at Clara.

"Oh I know," Clara beamed up at him, making him grin widely.

"Well, I won't keep you," Ellie gave them a little wave and headed back to her table with her future husband.

"That was…weird…" Clara whispered to him as they headed out of the restaurant, pausing under the entrance to the restaurant where it stuck out a bit more as it was raining beyond it.

"Actually happens around me a lot," he shrugged, glancing at her when he saw her look at him confused, "Riv's met her parents a few times before they found out who she was," he laughed, "Now that I think about it…she ended up naming herself too."

"What do you mean named herself?"

"She grew up as her mother's best friend Mels, and Aunt Amy decided she'd name her daughter after her, Melody," he explained, "Your mum," he nodded back to the restaurant, "She thinks Clara is a lovely name," he smiled, "I agree completely," he nudged her.

Clara blinked, "I suppose that means I was always meant to be Clara then."

"I can't imagine you being anything else," he winked, before looking out at the rain, "Now…how do we get to the TARDIS."

"Are Evy and the Doctor coming to pick us up?" Clara frowned, he'd basically told them to head out when they'd left.

"Nah," he grinned, "I've got transport of my own," he pulled out what looked like a car key from his pocket and pressed it. Clara squinted, seeing a flash of light just on the other side of the street and hearing a beep as…a red telephone booth appeared across the street.

"You're kidding me aren't you?" she started laughing, her mind immediately going to 'snog box' as she looked at the booth.

"What?" he winked at her, "I've always had a thing for red," he glanced at her jumper, "Always."

"Another sign," she joked, she tended to wear red a lot, she didn't know why, it just…looked good on her, "But is it always like that? I mean, is the Chameleon Circuit broken as well?"

"No," he smiled, "I'm not quite as bad a pilot as dad, haven't managed to break anything just yet. Though…I might just…"

"Why would you do that?" she shook her head at him.

"That way I can teach you how to fix her," he nudged her.

"And then she'll kill you like your dad's TARDIS wants to kill him half the time," she reminded him.

He winced, "Right…" he nodded, "Best wait till something breaks naturally and through no fault of mine."

Clara gave him a look for a moment before snorting at the impossibility of something breaking and him NOT being responsible for it, "Come on then," she took his hand, about to run off when he tugged her back.

"Hold on, hold on," he started to pat his pockets, "I've got an umbrella here somewhere…"

"Forget the umbrella," Clara laughed, taking his other hand and trying to pull him on.

"But we'll get wet."

"Where's your sense of adventure Cap'n?" she challenged.

"I'll show you sense of adventure," he laughed, running off with her, right out into the rain, pausing at the side of the road to make sure there were no cars before dashing to the glass doors of his TARDIS that made whoever stepped inside invisible to those looking at it…

Only for him to pull her back before they could reach it, his arms wrapping around her waist before he picked her up, her back to his front, and spun her around, making her laugh. She turned in his arms as he set her down, the two of them just laughing and grinning widely, before he pulled her in closer, just staring down softly at her. She tilted her head, looking at him just as gently, before resting her head to his chest, him resting his chin on her head as they began to sway, just…dancing in the rain in time with their heartsbeats.

Oh yes, the most perfect first date ever.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Impossibly Yours, Captain :) This was among the sweeter chapters that will come :) I plan for us to see Clara dealing with her various memories, coping with remembering being a Time Lord, Artie and Angie meeting Clara's 'boyfriend,' and a few adventures along the way ;)

This story will be updated on the 30th of each month (unless I get really inspired and post another chapter at a random point in the month, but definitely on the 30th too). That will last until September when I'll be reworking the spin-off schedules to include a Heart of Time Saga one of the TARDIS's POV. So...really, August 30th will be the next definite one and then I might move this story to the 21st/22nd of each month :)

And, since I really don't know what chapters will come next (unlike with TAOSAT or Recollections), I think I'll leave it as a surprise what sort of chapters we'll be getting next :)


	2. Nightmares

Nightmares

_It was dark…no, not dark, it wasn't night but the sky was dark, blackened with thick clouds. It was a deep orange, what should have been burnt orange was now darkened by the clouds of smoke rising into the clouds. Everything was burning around them, everywhere, so many people who looked like humans fighting and shouting and screaming, firing at metal monsters, like oversized pepper pots that were firing lasers back at them. There were bursts of golden-orange everywhere as more and more of the humanoid soldiers were struck down._

_It was chaos._

_She winced, diving to the side as a laser shot past her, gasping at how close that blast had come to striking her. She clutched her gun to her chest and turned, firing back at the Dalek that had tried to kill her. She nearly hunched with relief when it went flying backwards, its eyestalk swinging around as its vision was impaired. But she knew she didn't have much time, she turned, trying to spot what she'd glimpsed out of the corner of her eye again…and took off._

_The Doctor was ahead, crouched down low, but completely exposed, focusing on something in front of him, something she couldn't see, working on it. The man was SO daft! He didn't even see the Dalek flying towards him or the shouts of 'Exterminate!'_

_She swallowed, knowing she couldn't get a good shot in from her angle, and if she shouted…he would only turn around and not move…she couldn't risk it…so…she ran faster._

_She closed her eyes, jumping when she heard a blast fire from the Dalek, diving in front of him as the blast hit her instead…_

Clara sat up with a gasp, panting as she looked around, for a long moment completely confused as to where she was. She was in bed, but not her bed, not her bed at home or in the Maitland house but…a large room, decorated in different hues of reds, light reds on the walls, dark red accents, her bed large and spacious, she'd always wanted a large bed she could sprawl out on, with dark wood bookshelves and lovely pictures on the walls of different places she wanted to visit, tall windows lining the side of the room with a small wardrobe in the back…the carpet was a deep red as well…her sheets the same, light red but with a dark red duvet…

She closed her eyes, remembering where she was, the TARDIS…the Captain's TARDIS, her Link's TARDIS. She swallowed hard, hearing the box humming around her…when she looked up, the door throwing itself open and would have laughed at the sight before her if she wasn't still shaking from the terrible nightmare she knew was really a memory of how she'd died…

J was there, panting in the doorway, half leaning on it, seeming to have run from his room to hers, most likely woken from a sound sleep in the process. His hair was even more stuck up than normal, dressed only in a pair of dark red flannel pants, no shoes, no shirt…his blue eyes wide as he looked at her.

"Clar!" he rushed to her side, sitting on the edge of the bed, putting one of his arms around her shoulders, "It's alright," he soothed her, kissing her hair as he held her close, Clara leaning on him as she tried to regain her breath. He lightly rubbed her arm, feeling her shaking in his own, "It's ok, I promise, it was just a dream…"

Clara closed her eyes and started nodding, working out what had happened. J had warned her that, in sleep, the mental connection was even more open without their conscious minds maintaining even a slight mental wall against the other. He must have seen it, and likely felt her fear upon waking.

She could feel his own fear for her reflected back at her. He was worried for her, had woken up startled and his first thought…had been her, had been checking on her, getting to her, making sure she was ok. It was touching and comforting and JUST what she needed at the moment. Because she was scared.

Her memories of her echo-lives as J called them were scattered, bits and pieces leaking through, some knowledge of things popping up in her head at random times. She knew that she hadn't lived past 26 in any of them, but…she swallowed…she hadn't remembered her deaths so…vividly before. She knew she died, she remembered that she did die, and she had hoped that, if she were to remember them, she might be prepared for them. Like…they might be talking about something, the Dalek Asylum or anything, and she'd feel it coming, be ready for it…in her dreams, well she knew it was likely to happen given how unguarded a mind was in sleep, but…she'd hoped it wouldn't. She didn't want it to happen so suddenly and during a time where she should be feeling comforted and safe…

It was like her nightmares as a child, always being lost but her mother wasn't there any longer…

"I'm here," J whispered, and she felt a kiss on her hair again.

She had to smile at that though, her mother wasn't there but J was, he was always there.

"And I always will be," he promised, crossing his hearts.

"No more peeking in my mind," she whispered to him, not cross about that, she knew she needed a bit more practice in how to guard her mind to the point where he wouldn't see _everything_ that drifted across it, but it would take time. She hadn't guarded her mind in that way in…ages and her 'human' mind wasn't used to thinking that way just yet so her mind was really like an open book to him, though J had been very considerate in not prying into it or actively trying to read it which she appreciated.

He let out a soft chuckle that made her hearts race at how she could feel it he was so close, "Sorry," he murmured, squeezing her.

She let out a breath and turned her head, resting her forehead on his chest, just closing her eyes and taking a moment to calm down, "Sorry I woke you Cap'n," she whispered.

"You don't ever have to apologize Clar," he smiled softly at her, "I'm glad you did," she blinked and looked up at him, so he continued, "I got to come comfort you," he winked at her, "I got to hold you in my arms," he lightly began to run his hand up and down her arm, making her shiver, "I get to know that I can help you feel better, feel safe," he smiled as she started to smile too, "I got to come to your bed…"

"Sigma!" she laughed, whacking him lightly on the chest, knowing he'd only said that to make her laugh, she…liked that, she liked knowing that. She liked the Link because…she always knew his intentions behind things, where others might get offended or fear he was taking advantage of them, she could see in to his hearts and soul and knew his only thought was getting her to smile again and feel calm once more.

It was just…incredible, to feel like you were someone's whole world. The way he looked at her, the way he was looking at her now, it was like…she really was his world, he'd do anything to see her happy.

She felt the same.

"Feeling better?" he grinned, knowing she was.

"Yeah," she nodded, "Thanks."

"It was my pleasure," he reassured her, taking her hand in his free hand and lifted it to his lips, "My complete pleasure," he whispered, kissing her hand, making her breath catch in her throat at how he was looking right in her eyes.

She just looked at him softly as he gave her a wink and started to get up, "No wait!" she called, tugging him back by the hand she hadn't let go of, "Um…" she swallowed, looking away as she started blushing at what she was about to ask him, "Would you, um…"

She looked down a moment and back up at him, '_Would you stay?_' she asked in his mind, still feeling a bit too embarrassed to say it out loud.

It wasn't that she was embarrassed that she was asking, she knew there was NO intention like THAT behind it, she wasn't asking him to stay for that, to 'join her in bed' for that reason, no. But she was embarrassed that she felt like she needed to ask, like…she was still that little girl who couldn't fall asleep without someone there to watch over her just because she had a nightmare.

But J just smiled at her, understanding, and moved back to the edge of the bed as she scooted back. He swung his legs up onto it, over the covers, and wiggled to lay back a bit more.

"Just…just till I fall asleep," she added, still blushing as she snuggled up closer to him, resting her head on his bare chest, trying not to blush even more at that.

He laughed, nodding, before he quieted down, wanting her to be able to fall asleep, knowing how important that was. Her body was still adjusting to its Time Lady biology, she was slowly starting to need less sleep, but it was a slow progression at the moment.

"I'll stay as long as you want me to Clarana," he told her in a whisper, his one hand lightly running up her back as she cuddled closer.

Clara smiled, already half asleep at the warmth she felt from his body and how safe she felt in his arms, as though she wouldn't have a nightmare again, and she knew she wouldn't, because he'd keep the nightmares away, "Hmm…" she hummed, "Forever sounds good…"

He beamed at that, "Forever's a long time," he warned her lightly, turning his head to nuzzle his nose to the top of her head, whispering in her ear.

She yawned, "Not long enough," she murmured.

His smile grew soft as he looked down, seeing her smiling in her sleep as her breathing slowed. He dropped a gentle kiss to the top of her head and closed his eyes, he knew she'd asked him to stay just till she fell asleep…

But he was too comfortable and…he wanted to make sure she wouldn't have another nightmare, wanted to be there for her and really…she had also, in a way, asked him to stay forever.

And who was he to deny his Link anything?

A/N: Shortish, I know :( I can't promise all long chapters, some might just be little/significant moments between them, but others might be complete adventures, it'll depend on the inspiration :) This chapter was just a small idea I had that kept knocking around in my head and wouldn't leave me alone till I wrote it out :) I wanted to look at Clara's reaction to remembering her 'deaths' and also to take a peek at how she was so good at helping the others fight during the Cybermen episode, she was fighting in a war here :) And since I wrote it out and still have about half a month before the next chapter, I thought why not post it? :) I did say I'd try to do two (or more) chapters a month for my spin-offs but I can say that despite having this chapter now, we will STILL have another one around the 30th too :)

I hope you liked this little one :) I have no idea when it takes place, but it's definitely after the first chapter happened :) So, for now, between the 50th special and Series 8 (or some time during Series 8, though we won't know till that airs lol). I'm really glad you guys seem to be liking the Jara so far ^-^ It might not always be fluff, but given my fluff withdrawal from Angel's story, I think Jara will be pretty fluffy at first ;)

Some notes on reviews...

The first chapter takes place after the 50th special, so Clara's met Rose during that :)

I have no idea how I got people to ship Jara, I just tried my best to make them compatible, but I'm glad you like them! :)

Ironically...the 21st/22nd is when I can see updating this chapter starting in September! What a birthday gift eh? September will be when I start my 4th DW spin off for the Heart of Time Saga and will be changing the update dates for all the spin-offs. The Lunar Cycle themed ones will be the 7th/8th (TAOSAT) and the 21st/22nd (IYC) :)


	3. Angie and Artie

Angie and Artie

Clara walked through the Maitland house, rolling her eyes as she heard Angie and Artie upstairs, arguing. She didn't understand those two, she was an only child but she would've given _anything_ for a sibling. Though she had noticed that most of the arguments were instigated by Angie insulting Artie or something similar. But she understood, Angie was (and had been) going through a difficult time ever since her mother had died. The Doctor and Evy had been right, she felt guilty about what had happened with Mrs. Maitland, so maybe that was why she stayed and had stayed as long as she had.

She could relate to the little girl. She had lost her mother around the same age as Angie and it was a difficult time to be without a mother, just starting the teenage years, the years where you both hated your mum but needed her terribly. She had just wanted _someone_ to be there for her, to offer her words of wisdom like a mother would but NOT take her place. No, not ever. No one could take the place of a mother and she wasn't trying to do that with Angie either, though she was starting to get the feeling that was what Angie felt she was doing.

She hadn't left in the last year and it was actually mostly because of Angie, Angie still needed her and she was convinced she could get through to the girl. She was just…going through a rough time, and with her mum gone, her brother closed off, her father always working, there was really only her there for the girl. She was the only one Angie really had left, in a female sense, and that was why she didn't just run off with the Doctor and Evy when they had invited her the first time or why she didn't stay with J except for the Wednesdays she spent with his parents.

She smiled thoughtfully at that, J had already invited her to stay with him forever. Granted he'd been a bit loopy at the time. They'd had a run in with a few tribes in a rainforest on a distant planet that had attacked them with these darts that made you a bit…out of it. It was meant to make a human fall asleep, they'd been aiming for her really, something about a sacrifice, but J had taken it for her. And since he wasn't human (not that she was either anymore), it had had a bit of a different effect on him, he'd just gotten a bit loopy and dazed. That had been an interesting time, trying to get him back to the TARDIS when every flower he saw he wanted to pick for her and every cuddly (though potentially vicious) animal he wanted to get her for a pet. But she'd managed it, gotten him to the safety of his TARDIS and gotten them into the Vortex all on her own! Well, she was fairly certain that his TARDIS had helped her out there. She'd gotten him to the med-bay and tried to follow his instructions to 'use the thingy that makes the whoop-whoop-whoop-bing sound!' to run a scan on him, wanting to make sure the dart thing hadn't harmed him.

She'd sat beside him as they waited for the results and he'd just gone on a ramble…about her, which both amused and touched her very much. In the end, the effects had started to wear off and he'd begun to fall asleep and murmured that he wanted her to stay with him forever. She'd said that she already planned to, but he'd said that he was talking about actually stay with him, in the TARDIS, forever. It had broken her hearts (yes! She FINALLY got that down!) to say no. But luckily he'd fallen asleep by then and she knew, once he woke up, if he even remembered asking her, that he'd understand her responsibility to the Maitlands.

She really would have liked nothing better than to stay with J forever. There was just something about him that pulled her in, and it went beyond just the Link they shared. She'd had a crush on him for as long as she could remember, even before she'd really met him it seemed. She'd been dreaming of him ever since she was a little girl and she remembered now, having travelled through the Doctor and Evy's timeline, when she had been just a little girl she'd met the young J. They had played in the park and been so inseparable that they had both cried when they parted. It killed her even now, made her want to cry every time they parted as adults. It was getting harder and harder to make herself walk out of his TARDIS and back to the Maitland home.

But then she'd remember the wide smile that would be on his face when she saw him again and it was worth it. She'd never ever seen someone THAT happy to see her again, and it made her feel all warm inside to see it, made her hearts flutter, her stomach fill with butterflies, and she found herself smiling just as widely.

She sighed though, when she heard a knock on the front door that had been going for the last minute. She winced, hoping they hadn't been standing out there long. She walked over to the door, not even bothering to look at the security monitor to see who it might be as she threw it open…only for her eyes to widen, a large grin appearing on her face when she saw who was there.

"Cap'n!" she shouted, half-launching herself at the man standing on the doorstep with a bouquet of small red roses in hand.

"Hey there Clar," he laughed, winding his one arm around her, hugging her tightly so as not to crush the flowers in his other hand. He beamed and tightened his hold on her, lifting her up with one arm and spinning them around once, making her laugh when he set her down, sliding his arm from all the way around her to rest on the small of her back, "How is everything?"

She just shook her head, "Cap'n what are you doing here?" though she was smiling widely at that.

"What?" he shrugged, "I can't visit my lovely Link?"

"You can't call me that here," she whispered to him, reminding him of that, closing the door to join him completely on the doorstep, taking his hand, squeezing it so he knew it wasn't that she didn't want him to call her that but that…well…the Maitlands were there.

"The kids don't know, do they?" he guessed. It had been an unspoken agreement between them that, until Clara could build up her mental walls so that she wasn't a completely open book to him, he wouldn't actively look into her mind unless there was some rather large danger or something was very wrong.

"No," she sighed, "I haven't told them yet. I'm not sure how I can even bring it up really. How do you tell someone that you were human and then became an alien?"

He blinked, "I…have no idea," he looked thoughtful for a moment, "It's never really happened to me before. But we could ask dad or mum might know."

Clara frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Dad was a human for a few months once," J told her.

"Really?" Clara blinked, "How did that happen…no, wait," she quickly put a finger on his lips to quiet him, "The…" her brow furrowed as she tried to think of it herself, she'd been trying to do that lately, really try to access more and more of her memories as a Time Lady. Even though J had told her and implied in everything he did that he loved HER just the way she was, even with her more-human mind, SHE wanted to do better.

It wasn't even that it would make her feel more connected to J, to have that shared history and culture to her, to have that knowledge he had, to really be worthy of being called a Time Lady and his Link but…she wanted to remember other things too. She considered Ellie Oswald to be her mother, and she always would, but she was curious as to who her parents were in her other lives, especially Gallifrey, if she had any family, what she did during those lives. She just…she felt like there were huge portions of her life missing and she wouldn't feel…complete…till she remembered everything.

J had warned her that it would be dangerous, to try too hard, because her mind was more capable of handling the multiple lives, being a Time Lady and regeneration being key to their survival, their people needed the ability to remember their prior lives. He had warned her that to unlock them too suddenly and not give her mind time to get used to it would overload her. They, nor the Doctor and Evy, wanted her to develop any sort of mental disorder due to it, like multiple or split personality. She wanted to be Clara, just Clara for the most part. She didn't want her other lives to take her over, because her other lives didn't know J.

So they were doing this slowly. Every day she spent with J, they would do sort of a meditation for an hour or two, where he'd go into her mind and help her examine a few memories from behind that 'door' she kept closed. It was slow, but it was the process that made her feel safer doing it. It gave her time to look at the memories, to remember them, in a safe way, with someone experienced in minds beside her. Sometimes she got more than she bargained for, other times she had to almost drag the memory out, but it was always enlightening and she always felt a bit better after every session. And with J there she always felt safe or comforted when she came back to the present, because he was there and he'd seen it with her and he was always ready to help her and be whatever she needed, a joking friend, a shoulder to cry on, a smile of pride at something she had done in that life.

And J would show her memories of his own too, help her sort through the memories she had of his lives from when they'd Linked. He'd go through them, the key ones or ones he wanted her to remember first. The first few had been of his friend River actually, because he wanted her to see the general gist of the nature of his relationship with the woman. He wanted her to see that they were JUST friends, that they were good friends, best friends. According to him, he remembered meeting Clara a few times in the past, before he had Linked to her, some included River with him, and he wanted to be sure, when she saw them together, that she would understand it was only friendship between them as they could both be rather flirty with each other in a completely platonic way.

It had been touching to see that woman from J's point of view. She'd seen them meeting, seen his first memory of River holding him as a baby, seen their time at University, their travels, especially the ones that had involved his parents, and…the Library. She'd hugged him so tightly after that last memory that he'd actually turned blue, but hadn't said anything, just enjoying her hug. It was…sweet, it really was to see him sharing all sorts of memories with her, good, bad, funny, sad, it made them more connected, they could share similar hurts and she liked being able to comfort him like he did her.

"The Chameleon Arch?" she guessed.

He beamed, pulling her hand off his mouth, dropping a little kiss onto her still-extended finger, "Got it in one," he winked, "But it really is a _long_ story," J sighed, "But I promise I'll tell you about it later," he crossed his hearts.

She smiled, "I'll hold you to that Cap'n," she pointed a warning finger at him, "But really Cap'n, what are you doing here?"

He held up the flowers to her, "I missed you," he said simply, offering her them.

Her gaze softened as she took the flowers and smelled them, bright red roses, which matched her red and white plaid shirt and jean skirt she was wearing with her white slippers. She smiled gently at the roses, "They're beautiful."

"Like you," he winked at her, making her blush the same shade of the roses.

"And how long was it for you?"

For her it had been about two days. She had apologized profusely to him when she'd had to tell him that. She'd been with him on the Eye of Orion, he'd called it, having a lovely picnic, when her mobile had rung. It was Mr. Maitland apologizing for interrupting her errands but requesting she come back right then because he'd just been called away on a business trip that would take a few days and needed to go rather quickly but didn't feel comfortable leaving the children alone. She'd agreed to head back and had to tell J that she'd be needed there a few days.

They had a system worked out, for the most part. Wednesdays, her day off, she would spend with the Doctor and Evy and LJ, every other day, nearly ever spare second, was with J. Usually. What would happen would be her waking the children, taking care of them for the day, sending them to bed, and then stepping outside as soon as she was sure they were asleep to see J there with his TARDIS. They'd spend a few days together, though those days were getting longer, she'd been with him a week last time, and then he'd bring her back to the house about an hour or two before she was to wake the children. Being a Time Lady had made her better able to cope with no sleep, not needing as much as a human needed, and being with J she could sleep all she wanted during those trips.

But this time she didn't feel comfortable doing that. When Mr. Maitland was home, she was fine leaving the house for the 'night' but when it was just her she couldn't bear to head out and know the children were home all alone. So she'd told him she'd have to stay the days Mr. Maitland wasn't there.

He'd pouted, but she'd managed to stay strong and remind him those kids were her responsibility still. She had to stay, even if she didn't want to as much as she normally would. THAT had made him smile and say, offhandedly as she was leaving, that maybe he'd pop by and say hello. She'd thought he was joking, she should have known better.

"Oh you know," J began, rubbing the back of his neck embarrasssedly, "Pretty long."

Clara crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow at him, "It was five minutes, wasn't it?"

He nodded, "Yeah," and smiled, "I just…I miss you so much when you're not there Clar."

Clara smiled, "I missed you too, but I can't just leave. The kids need me to watch them and Mr. Maitland won't be home until tomorrow night.

He grinned, "I know, that's why I stopped by, I was wondering if you wanted any help with them."

She gave him a look, "Do you have any experience babysitting?"

He shrugged, "Well there's dad."

She had to nod to that, "Good enough for me."

"But," he cut in, "I should warn you, I shall expect some sort of payment for my services and assistance."

She started to smile, sensing the start of a little joking thing they'd seemed to keep doing since their first date, "And what do you want for your payment, exactly? I can bake you a soufflé…"

He smiled as well, seeing her go along with what had become their 'thing,' "I could go for a slice of soufflé right now," he considered it, "But there's something else I'd rather have than the soufflé."

She bit her lip, an impish smile on her face, "And what would that be?"

He just blinked, "Soufflé girl."

She laughed, "You're terrible Cap'n!"

"And you love me anyway," J began, before sputtering, "I mean…I know you…I just…"

"It's _ok_," she laughed, amused by how he kept sputtering about that, "We talked about this before. It's fine."

She knew it affected him greatly, the fact that she hadn't said 'I love you' yet but it was just everything was happening so suddenly! Going from human to alien and Linking and everything. She was sure that she DID love J, she just…couldn't say it yet. And, maybe, it was because a small part of her was waiting for the right moment.

"Rigth," he grinned and took her hand back, "Now about that payment…"

She laughed, "Alright, alright, what do you want from Soufflé Girl if you don't want a soufflé?"

He smiled softly, reaching out a hand to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, "I think…one kiss per hour per child would be a fair wage, don't you?"

She gave him a playful look, "Why I do believe that would be, yes."

"Brilliant, though…given the fact you made me wait five whole minutes, I think we should do some sort of…advanced payment."

She smiled, beamed really, she loved this, it was like a little game they played, to see who would kiss who and how they'd go about doing it. She leaned in, "Oh you think that do you?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Yes I do," he leaned in even closer, "So what do you say?"

She paused, pretending to think about it for a moment, "I think," she took a step closer to him this time, pressing against him as his arm automatically cam to wind around her while she put hers around his neck, "I think that's a brilliant idea Cap'n."

He gave her a soft smile, "I thought you might like it," he came closer, his lips having just brushing against hers…

When the door beside them was thrown open, making them jump apart to see Angie and Artie in the doorway.

"Who's _this_?" Angie asked, staring at J who had already moved back beside Clara, the woman staring at the children with wide eyes, not having a clue what to say to that.

"Hello!" J greeted brightly, "I'm…J," he offered. He wasn't much a fan of being called J anymore, what with it being River's own name for him, and with River and the Library and all that…but Clara had already said she hadn't told the children about her being a Time Lady and since Angie and Artie didn't recognize him this was their first meeting with him. Calling himself the Captain might give away his alien heritage given they'd met his parents, he could put up with being called J again for Clara.

"What sort of name is J?" Angie crossed her arms, "That's stupid."

"Angie!" Clara snapped out of her shock at nearly being caught by the children kissing some man on the doorstep at that, "That's rude."

"It's alright Clar," J winked at her, he'd put up with worse especially with the Doctor as his father, rudeness ran in the family so to speak, "It's short for Jonathan. So you can call me J or Johnny or John, or…John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt?" he smiled at them.

Artie smiled a bit at that, but Angie looked largely unamused.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Right, yeah, should have stopped at John eh? Never gets a laugh when I think it should. But what can you do? I get my sense of humor from my dad."

Clara shook her head fondly at him and turned to the children, "This is…" she trailed off, not quite sure how to introduce him and who he was to her.

"Is this your boyfriend?" Artie asked, looking at him as though studying him a moment, sizing him up.

"Um," Clara blinked, looking at J for help, unable to feel like she'd much rather call him her Link than just 'boyfriend.'

But J didn't seem at all upset by that word, just standing there, grinning a stupid grin she often saw on his father's face, before he put his arm around her shoulders, "Why yes, yes, I am."

Boyfriend wasn't quite as strong a word as Link, but he couldn't exactly say 'I'm Clara's Link' because the children didn't know about her alien origins nor did they know what Linking even was. But that was fine, he would take Clara's boyfriend any day.

Clara's Link, Clara's boyfriend, it really only meant one thing to him, in the end, he was Clara's. And that was just fine with him...a thought which made Clara smile to hear in her mind.

He couldn't begin to describe how good it felt to be able to say that. He had sat by, watching as River became other people's girlfriend throughout the years at University, watching how happy she was at times, how close she and her boyfriends could be, and that was all he ever really wanted, to be that close to someone. But he didn't want to hurt his Link by being in a relationship with someone else. His mother said she was fine, considering everything that happened with his father and Rose, but he knew deep down it _did_ hurt her a little to know her Link had 'fallen in love' with someone else. Especially while SHE was Linked to him. But it had all worked out for the best in the end.

He had held off, hoping that one day he might find his Link, despite his family's concerns, River and his parents warning/reminding him the chances of finding her were slim. But he HAD found her, and he knew that he had made the right decision. Because Clara was worth the wait. Centuries, decades, millennia, it didn't matter as long as he could eventually call her his, which she was now. He was never going to let anyone else change that or take her away from him…not even Porridge. He had to laugh a little bit thinking about what Angie and Artie would think if they found out HE was the baby Clara had given up being 'Queen of the Universe' for. He hoped they would think it was a good decision by now and not a stupid one.

"So what are you doing here?" Angie nearly sneered at him.

"Angie," Clara scolded, the girl rolling her eyes and crossing her arms as Clara turned to J with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry about her."

But J just waved her off, "It's alright," he was used to it and indeed he was, he _had_ inherited his father's rudeness and, without River or Clara there to pull him back, he also offended people, "I just stopped by to see if Clara needed any help looking after you kids," he smiled at her.

"We're not kids…" Angie began, but then Artie, of all people, cut in.

"Do you play chess?" Artie looked at him, trying to ease the situation.

"Yep," he beamed.

"Would you like to play a round?" Artie asked.

"Yes!" Clara shouted before J could answer, "Yes, that would be lovely Artie, thanks," she reached out and put a hand on J's arm, squeezing it gently, "You two go play, have fun," she winked, "And I'll go bake a soufflé for you."

"Oi," J pouted as Clara turned Angie around and led her back into the house, making her pause and look back, "I thought we agreed on the other form of payment."

She just grinned coyly, "Be a good boy and you just might get it later," she winked at him and headed in as J blinked before beaming.

"What other payment?" Artie looked up at him, confused.

J just laughed, patting him on the shoulder, "Nothing," he told him, "Now where's that chessboard of yours?"

~8~

J sat across from Artie, staring at the chessboard intently, Artie across from him, grinning excitedly, as Clara stayed at the kitchen counter, watching them play their match, waiting for the soufflé she had promised them for dessert finished baking behind her. She glanced over at Angie who was sitting on the sofa, typing on her phone, and back to the boys.

"Having a difficult time there J?" Clara asked, he hadn't made a move in the last five minutes. It was a good thing that game wasn't being timed and was just for fun because it seems like Artie was actually _beating_ him, which was something given the fact that the man, as the baby had claimed he could beat anyone even a Cyberman in chess.

"Don't know," J smiled back at her over his shoulder.

"_I'm_ doing just fine," Artie grinned, knowing he was winning in this chess match.

J just smiled secretively, shooting a wink at Clara, which made her laugh as she realized what he was doing. J was letting the boy win, very sweet she had to admit. She thought Artie could use a little bit of confidence at the moment. Angie wasn't very kind or supportive in her role as the older sister since their mother had died. She knew the girl was angry at the loss of her mother, she took it out on all of them really, everyone except her friends, but she knew Angie loved Artie deep down, just jut needed time to heal.

"Because winning at chess is SUCH a big achievement," Angie muttered, though they could all hear her, "He probably hasn't got a clue how to play chess."

"I'm actually rather good at it," J remarked, not sounding snide or contradicting at all, more as though he were just commenting on the weather.

"So what?" Angie turned on the sofa to face him, "Are you some kind of nerd then? That's not Clara's type you know, it won't last."

"ANGIE!" Clara shouted, staring at the girl in horror, not only that the girl would claim to know what her 'type' was but that she would say that hers and J's relationship wouldn't last. She knew the girl hadn't a clue the true depth of her connection to the Time Lord, but something in her snapped at having it attacked by someone else. Not only that, but…she KNEW none of her other relationships had ever lasted past a first date, but that was no reason for Angie to say such a thing to J.

J just turned in his chair and looked at her, "Maybe her other relationships were the ones with men who weren't her type."

Angie just shook her head and got up, heading for the stairs, "Doubt it," she called, heading up the stairs, knowing that Clara was likely to really start scolding her for her attitude.

Clara just blinked, staring at the direction Angie had just gone…until she felt someone touch her shoulder. She looked over to see J smiling softly at her, reassuringly and realized there were tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry…" she began.

"Clar," he gave a little laugh, "It's alright, I love you," he told her, "We're connected in a way she can't being to fathom, we…" he took her hand, "Will last, to the end of the Universe and beyond," he promised, kissing the back of her hand, "But if it's alright…I want to go talk to Angie."

"No," she shook her head, "I should go, she probably won't even listen…"

"Trust me," J winked at her, "I think I know exactly what's wrong."

Clara frowned, "If you're sure…"

He nodded, "I am," he leaned in and kissed her forehead, Clara closing her eyes at the movement, starting to smile at how sweet and understanding he was. Other men might have flown off the handle, been cross and shouted at a teenage girl or stormed out. J just made sure SHE was ok first before wanting to calmly talk to the said teenager.

"Alright," she sighed, reaching up to touch his cheek, smiling more as he leaned into her touch, reaching up to hold her hand to his face, "I'll call when the soufflé is done."

"Brilliant," he smiled, pulling her hand from his face to kiss her palm, heading off to the stairs.

Clara watched him go till he disappeared before looking at Artie who was grinning, "What?"

Artie just reached out and moved his piece, "Checkmate."

Clara laughed at that.

~8~

J knocked on Angie's door, well, it would be Angie's given her name was on it.

"Go away Clara!" Angie shouted from within.

He shrugged and flashed his sonic on the door, knowing the teenager had likely locked it, stepping in.

"I said go away Clara," Angie repeated, lying on her bed, her eyes closed, only hearing the door open.

"I know," J called and her eyes snapped open, "But since I'm not Clara, I took that as an invitation."

"What are YOU doing here?" Angie glared at him.

He just shut the door behind him and leaned against it, "I just wanted to talk," he shrugged.

Angie scoffed, "I'm not taking it back."

"I didn't ask you to," he remarked, "You believe Clar and I won't work, I believe we will, we'll just have to wait and see who's right."

Angie eyed him a moment, that wasn't what she expected him to say, he seemed too confident that they'd work, like he knew something she didn't, but she didn't care, "What do you want?"

"I get it," he began, looking at her with understanding, "Why you don't like me."

"Because you're stupid," she cut in, "And you're all wrong for Clara."

"Might be stupid," he agreed, "Dad's an idiot most of the time, could be hereditary. But I do think I'm very, very right for Clara," he eyed her, "And I think you do to."

"No I don't. I said I don't."

"People say things all the time that they don't mean," he just continued, as though she hadn't interrupted him, "You think I'm perfect for Clara and that scares you."

"Why would I be scared?" she scoffed.

"Because if Clara and I work, one day I might ask her to marry me, and she'd leave, and you don't want that."

"I don't care if Clara leaves," Angie insisted, a bit too quickly, "She can leave whenever she wants. I'd rather she leave."

J stared at her a long while, knowing it wasn't true. He'd probably cheated a bit, used a trick his mother had taught him about reading the minds of others but…teenage girls were tricky, there was no way to know what they meant unless you read their minds and he'd only taken a peek because he'd been truly worried she really DIDN'T like him with Clara.

Turned out, it was quite the opposite.

"She's been here for you since your mum died," he began again, "And you're mad because you don't want Clara to be here, you want your mum. But in the same way, you're glad someone's here for you and you feel mad at yourself for being happy someone's there because you think you've betrayed your mum by feeling that."

Angie was silent.

"My best friend, River, she died Angie," Angie looked up at him, frowning, "And we spent so much time together that it was hard to be alone. So my sister came to stay with me, and for a long time I was annoyed with her, I was short and cross and kept trying to get her to leave. Because I just wanted my friend back, I didn't want someone to replace River. But you know what she told me? My sister, Jenny, she told me that she wasn't ever going to try and take River's place, she just didn't want me to be alone, she wanted me to remember there were people there for me. And, once I accepted that, once I saw that it wasn't a Replacement-River but just…my sister, being my sister, it was better, easier. It…helped, a lot, to have her there for me when River wasn't. And that's all Clara's trying to do for you Angie, be there for you."

Angie looked down, thinking.

He nodded, knowing he'd said something right, "Clara won't leave you Angie," he added, "She won't go until you and Artie are ok, until you're ready to let her go. She won't just abandon the people she cares about you know, that's not like her."

"Yeah…I know," Angie whispered, actually _listening_ to him.

It was true, she missed her mum a lot, and it was really great that Clara was there for her, and she knew Clara had to love her and Artie a lot to stay there and put up with her attitude for so long. She didn't want to like Clara being there because if felt like a betrayal to her mother, but in the same breath, she didn't want to be alone, she just wanted someone there for her, and that was Clara.

"I wouldn't ask her to leave you either," J told her, "Not seriously at least. Maybe spend a day or two with me, maybe go on a trip here or there, like a vacation, but I wouldn't ever ask her to really leave you before you were ready. That's why I'm here, that's why I came to visit, so she wouldn't have to leave you to see me."

Angie looked up at him, "You…you won't take her away from us?"

She was scared, by the thought of that. It was why she'd been so short and snappy with him. She had never seen Clara so…close to someone, to a man before, so…serious about them. She'd been terrified that it would just get more serious and Clara would just leave one day to be with him, leave her and Artie alone. She really had come to depend on Clara a lot despite her best efforts to keep her at a distance. It was hard to do when Clara was the only other woman there for her.

She'd thought maybe…she could drive him away, show him SHE didn't like him and maybe make him think Clara didn't either. If he left, Clara would be just hers and Artie's again. But…J was promising her he wouldn't take Clara away and now…now she felt even worse. He was being nice not just to Clara but to her despite what she'd done.

"Sorry," she looked at him, "About before. I was just…"

"Scared," he finished, nodding, "It's no problem at all Angie."

Angie started to smile when they heard Clara cheer up the stairs, "Soufflé's done!"

J grinned, "Ready?" he asked Angie.

Angie gave him a little smile and got off her bed, heading for the door and going down stairs.

Clara blinked, a bit stunned, when Angie gave her a tight hug and thanked her before heading to the kitchen, "What did you say to her?" Clara stared at him, slightly awed.

J just shrugged, "Just…something mum would say," he smiled.

Clara shook her head, "Whatever it was, thank you," she said, "I don't think I've seen her smile like that in a while."

He nodded, "For you Clara, I'd do anything," he told her, taking her hand, "Now…I believe you said something about a soufflé being done?" he licked his lips which made her laugh and tug him on towards the kitchen, heading to the oven and carefully pulling out the soufflé out of it with ovenmits on, "And here we are," she set it on the countertop, absolutely beaming when she saw it hadn't deflated as it often did when she tried to make her mum's soufflé.

J smiled, leaning in to smell the food, "It smells wonderful Clar," he told her.

She grinned, "Really?"

"Oh yes," he nodded, "I can't wait to taste it!"

Clara laughed, "You could always take a little piece now, if you want."

"Really?" he grinned.

She nodded, "My mum always used to give me a little piece of the soufflé while it was still nice and warm because it just melts in your mouth.

"Ok then, I'll have a go," he agreed, not even seeing Artie, who was behind Clara with Angie, shaking his head and making cutting motions at his throat, clearly trying to stop him from eating the morsel.

At least until Angie whacked lightly on the arm to stop him. Artie frowned and rubbed his arm, whispering, "What was that for?"

Angie just gave him a look, nodding her head towards J as though telling him to wait and watch. Artie didn't understand why she was doing that, Clara's soufflés, for all her attempts, were really rather terrible. Truly, he'd gotten food poisoning on more than one occasion trying to force himself to eat her new attempts.

Clara at least seemed to be aware of her cooking failures, as she was always trying to improve, always trying to remember her mother's recipe but never looking it up as she didn't want to 'cheat,' she wanted it to be from memory…which didn't really work out all that well. Every time she tried the soufflé would collapse or they would come out tasting better but leave a terrible aftertaste. They didn't know why that happened but they couldn't fault Clara for trying.

Angie watched closely as J moved to Clara's side, lightly resting his hand on the small of her back while she took out a small little knife and cut a tiny piece of the soufflé off, setting it on a napkin and handing it to J.

"It looks delicious Clar," he smiled at her, taking a smaller piece of it and tossing it in the air, catching it in his mouth as he munched on it. Clara watched him closely, watched his expression for any sign that the soufflé was truly as bad as it always was, but J just munched along, swallowing after moment and made little tasting noises with his mouth, "It tastes wonderful Clar!" he cheered.

"Really?" Clara beamed.

"Really?!" Angie and Artie gaped at him, Clara hadn't produced an edible soufflé yet. Artie walked over to it, peeking around at it before he reached down to the small morsel of Jay's napkin.

"You know what Clar?" J continued, turning to Clara so she was turned away from Artie to listen to him talk, "Can I take a slice with me when I leave?"

"Course you can," she beamed and went to the pantry to get the Tupperware containers.

While her back was turned, Artie took a bite of the soufflé, grimacing a moment later and trying to spit it out, nearly gagging on the small piece it was _terrible_!

J gave a little hearty laugh at that, patting Artie on the back as the boy coughed. Angie just gave them both a look as Clara turned around, "Artie what's wrong?" she rushed over to them.

J smiled, "I think it went down the wrong tube Clar."

"Come here, come here," Clara led Artie by the hand and over to the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of water and offering it to him, the boy chugging it down, trying to get the God awful taste out of his mouth.

Angie gave Jay a curious look, seeing the playful sort of smile on his face, as though he knew that the soufflé was truly as bad as it always was but…he hadn't given any outward sign that it was disgusting. He'd complimented it, he'd even swallowed it! And so, knowing that, she turned and made her way towards the counter, leaning against it as J turned to watch with a smile.

"The soufflé was disgusting, wasn't it?" Angie guessed.

J shrugged, "I wouldn't say that. It was actually rather tasty."

Angie gave him a suspicious look, "Are you just saying that because Clara made it?"

He grinned as though she had caught him, "I may or may not be saying it for that reason, sure."

Angie frowned and shook her head, "But why would you _eat_ it?" she looked at the thing as though it were some sort of evil, mutated muffin, "Why would you eat it and then look like you liked it?"

J just turned to look at her, leaning against the counter, "Because it's important to Clar," he said simply, "She's always trying to make soufflés and she loves them," he frowned, "Why would I insult something that she put so much effort into, especially considering she made that soufflé for _me_? It isn't always what it looks like, Angie, or even what it tastes like, it's what's behind it that makes it something incredible," he tapped her on the shoulder, "It's the thought that counts, you know," he smiled, "It's the heart and effort you put into something," he nodded at the soufflé, "Clara made that for me and I will love it and think it tastes wonderful because it came from her and it was made with love," he smiled, "Never ever under-estimate the power of love Angie, believe me, it is one of the strongest and most powerful forces in the Universe."

Angie eyed him a moment, "You sound a lot like the Doctor," she remarked, unable to help but think how similar the two were, both in mannerisms, personality, even how they spoke.

He grinned, "Doctor who?"

"Oh don't," Clara said, walking over with a smile, hearing that question, recalling all the issues that had come up because of it.

J laughed and looked at his watch, pouting, "I'm sorry Clar, but I should be heading out now."

Clara nodded, understanding, it was a ruse. They both knew that he couldn't stay the night with children there, especially not without them questioning how close they were exactly. For Angie and Artie, it hadn't even been that long since they'd met the Doctor and Evy and they would have known if she had had a boyfriend for long. To them, J was likely a man she'd met only recently.

"Just let me pack up the soufflé," she winked and turned to do just that.

Angie watched her go, before looking at J once more, "You really love Clara don't you?" she asked him, thinking about all he'd done in the short time he'd been there. He'd put up with her attitude (one she as sure would return in only a few days once she hit another 'teenage crisis'), let her brother win a game of chess, actually eaten Clara's soufflé…she couldn't think of any reason why someone would do that unless they really did love Clara.

"I do," he admitted openly, "Very much."

Angie nodded, that had been one small reason to stopping Artie warning him about the soufflé. Mostly she had been hoping to see a reaction from him tasting something awful, but that was in general, they always loved seeing the reactions of others who tried Clara's soufflés.

But, another small portion of it had been that…well…whether J cared enough for Clara's feelings to at least make an effort to hide how disgusting the soufflé was. J had surpassed her expectations, and a reaction like his…to swallow it, to have no sign of thinking it wasn't exactly tasty…that had to mean he REALLY cared for Clara and if he did care for her that much…he was alright in her book.

"Good," she nodded.

"Here we go," Clara smiled, handing him the Tupperware container of the soufflé, "Just…if you could bring that back next time," she nodded at the container, "Mr. Maitland doesn't keep stock of his containers but still…" it was polite to return it.

"Of course," he grinned, "Gives me an excuse to drop by and see you again doesn't it?' he winked at her.

She laughed, "Yes it does," she glanced at Angie and back at him, "Come on, I'll show you out."

He nodded and followed her to the front door, stepping out, Clara following him shutting the door behind her.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?" he smiled, shaking his head.

"Everything," she told him, Artie had never been more proud of himself than by beating an adult in chess, she'd made a soufflé he liked, and Angie had actually been a bit more civil in the end.

"You know me Clar," he reached out and took her hand, "Anything for you," he winked, kissing her hand.

"Likewise," she breathed.

"So…" he began, starting to smile slyly, "Does that mean I was a 'good boy?'"

She laughed, "A very good one," she reached out and pulled him towards her, kissing him, smiling internally when she felt him smile into the kiss, she loved when he did that, smiled into the kiss, because she knew that meant that he was happy and he was happy kissing her, which made her doubly happy to kiss him and to know that as well.

Neither of them realized, as they continued, that Angie and Artie were watching them from the monitor in the house, Artie staring wide-eyed at the fact that Clara really did have a boyfriend and seemed serious about him, while Angie just gave a small smile, happy that Clara had found happiness too and in knowing that Clara, when she was done, was going to come back in the house and make sure they got ready for bed, take care of them, like she had since the start.

A/N: I really wanted a little sort of 'Angie's reaction' moment for them :) We'll get an 'Artie reaction' as well later on, along with an adventure. This was more them finding out Clara had a boyfriend, for Artie's chapter it'll be finding out he's an alien ;)

Not an extreme amount of fluff, but I imagine quite a bit of it to come ;)

And, just to announce, this story will officially be updated on the 21st/22nd of each month from now on as I'll be adding a HOTS spin-off around the 14th :)

And just to answer a review, I might update on the 7th, I usually update this story on the 21st (from now on at least) but sometimes if inspiration strikes, I might post another chapter earlier on top of the 21st, we'll have to see :) But I'll try!


	4. The Lost Picnic

The Lost Picnic

"Where are we?" Clara gasped as they stepped out of J's TARDIS, looking around at the beautiful meadow before them.

J smiled and took her hand, "It's called the Eye of Orion," he told her as he began leading her off, a picnic basket in one arm with a blanket draped over his shoulder, ever the gentleman as he carried all of their things, "It's the most peaceful spot in the entire Universe."

He led her down a small hill, towards the trees that lined the edge of it, ducking under low hanging branches of beautiful trees, lifting some of the branches up so she wouldn't have to. Clara smiled, unable to help it really, it was a warm day, there were white clouds in the sky, a gentle breeze, the entire area smelling of flowers…oh she just loved it!

J was so sweet, she began to think. She had been sitting in the Maitland home, a bit sad as it was actually nearing the anniversary of when her mother had died and she was just…wallowing in her sorrow…until she felt Jay approach the house, actually FELT him coming before she even heard the wheezing of his TARDIS. It was odd because J usually didn't have the TARDIS wheeze like that, he usually just kept it on silent. When she'd asked him why, he'd said that his dad liked making big entrances and his mother encouraged him, HE on the other hand…well, his passengers were far too precious to him to risk others trying to attack the moment the box set down. Not that people really attacked, he usually parked his TARDIS where it was safe, but…with her and that River woman being the only passengers he'd taken along, he was very protective of them. She supposed it came from years watching his father and mother be protective of him and each other and their companions.

But sometimes he let the wheeze happen so that others, like his aunties and uncles, would know that he was coming. She didn't really care whether the wheeze happened or not, she was just so glad to see him again! He seemed to always know exactly when she needed him the most, exactly what to do to make her happy again. And, for some reason, she got the feeling it was just HIM and not the Link that let him do it. He'd…he'd always been able to make her feel better even before the Link. Like when she'd spilled that blue mush all over him, he'd just grinned and laughed it off and relieved her, and when she'd been lost in the TARDIS, just holding baby LJ had made her feel loads better. It was just him, just him being him that made her feel better.

She'd rushed to the door of the Maitland home and opened it to see him standing there, grinning like an idiot, and holding up a picnic basket, before adding a cheeky 'You called?' which made her laugh. The Link was truly beautiful like that. She didn't even have to say something was wrong for him to know and then he always tried to do everything in his power to make it right again. She loved that about him, how he always put her first, but then again…she did the same with him, well, as much as she could given she still had a responsibility to the Maitlands. She doubted she would ever take any more babysitting or nanny jobs in the future though, she _really did _want to be with J as much as she could. Every day, every minute, spent away from him only made her want to be closer to him when she saw him again. Make her want to stay longer, to not leave, and she knew that would just be harder for her to do in the future, to leave him, so she always pushed herself to go, reminding herself that Angie and Artie _did_ still need her and until they were completely secure and ready to move on, she _had_ to stay.

J understood that too, which was incredible of him. He never pushed her to stay, not ever, and for that she was eternally grateful that he didn't make her feel even more guilty than she already felt for leaving. It seemed like J had inherited his father's ability to turn up out of the blue right when she needed him the most and be able to make her smile within only seconds. Just seeing him did that to her though, just seeing him or thinking of him put a smile on her face and made her day that much brighter.

And now…now she was walking through the most beautiful meadow she had ever seen in her life, probably quite even more beautiful than one of the places in her book of places to see. She had always wanted to do that, to just go to a beautiful meadow one day and have a picnic and…she had jotted that down in her book now that she thought about it. It seemed J had taken a peek, the last two trips were also to places from it. She shook her head, smiling, it seemed J was intent to take her to all the places she had ever wanted to go and then some, even all the alien descendants!

She had gone to New New York apparently, after they had gone to the real New York, and quite a few other places. She _loved_ trips like that, especially when they got to see the descendents of places that were so central to Earth's history, it made her feel happy to know that the Human Race would continue on and expand out into the stars, exploring as they went, learning new things, but always retaining a basic sense of their humanity, always holding onto that connection to their past. She had seen people standing 3,000 years in the future, three millennia in the future, 300,000 years in the future, even 300 billion years in the future watching as Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon! It was so humbling to see that a moment like that could last forever.

She had frowned though, when, in the middle of that footage, some sort of alien had appeared commanding the human race to kill them all on sight. She'd looked at J, completely startled that it had appeared and that she didn't remember it happening when _she_ had been human and she had watch that footage quite a few times as a child. She always been a bit of a fan of the stars, had dreams of going out among them and seeing them, as J was doing for her now.

J had looked at her, startled when she had asked him about it only a few moments later, as it was something that not even HE or his father would've been able to remember had they not taken some precautions after encountering the Silence. He'd been surprised Clara had been able to remember the aliens but had realized shortly after that, well, she remembered so many different lives which she shouldn't have been able to, that it made sense she would be able to remember this as well. It was like how his mother could see and remember the Silence, it was something to do with the brain, with the memories and the ability to hold onto them, and Clara was just special. She had probably over a thousand lives in her head, it made sense she would be able to remember this as well.

And so he had told her about the Silence, about River and Lake, about his father's Ganger and his own birth, how everything had come to a point and how the Silence had been stopped by their own command at the very beginning. His mother had been right in the sense that the Silence would fall by their own devices, the Silence as a group and not death would fall.

But that was not something to think about on a picnic like this. No, right now she just wanted to be with J and have a good time and enjoy the day because she knew she had to be back at the Maitland's fairly soon. Today was one of those awkward days where Mr. Maitland was working late and the children had only gone out with their friends for ice cream and would be back within an hour, so it really it had to be a fairly short trip, relatively speaking.

"And how did you find this place?" she asked as they came to a small meadow, it was as beautiful as the rest of the area, a small clearing surrounded by trees with flowers everywhere.

"Would you believe," he began, setting the basket down and pulling the blanket off his shoulder to fan out and spread down on the ground, "That my dad came here a lot?"

"No," she answered promptly, taking his hand as he offered it to her to help her sit down, this place was FAR too peaceful for her to imagine the Doctor being there.

J just laughed, "Well he did," he shrugged, moving to open the basket, "And I wanted to bring you here too," he smiled at her, before reaching into the basket and pulling out, "Ta-da!"

Clara laughed as he handed her food she remembered very well, the same treats they'd eaten in Akhaten, "Our first date," she joked.

"Best day of my life," he beamed at her, making her blush.

~8~

They were lying on the blanket, staring at the sky, at the clouds, at the different patterns they could see in them. They'd eaten all the food, it had been delicious and she'd been very surprised when she'd found that, besides those treats, J had cooked all of it. Being a nanny, she was so used to being the one to cook everything that having a man cook for her…it was nice. It was really nice.

She'd eaten her fill and it had tasted SO good! But…as odd as it was…J was terrible at making desserts. Which was the funniest thing she'd ever heard and had started laughing at it for quite a few minutes, which had made him pout for it. It was just…the boy who loved his sweets couldn't MAKE said sweets…it was really quite funny. But when she'd seen him pouting, she'd just moved to hug him…only for J to fall back onto his back, taking her down with him with an oomph, the two of them landing on the ground, his arms around her, her on top of him, both of them laughing and blushing till she'd settled beside him, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her as they looked up at the sky. It was also that…SHE liked to think she was quite good at making desserts…if you didn't count the soufflé…and so…it was like they fit in yet another way, he could make food and she could make treats. Well, if the soufflé really wasn't counted at all, she was working on it.

"I see…" she squinted up at the clouds, "A crescent moon," she pointed at a curved sort of cloud.

"Really?" J remarked, absently playing with her fingers as he held her hand with one of his, "I don't see that."

"What, do you see a banana?" she joked, knowing how much Time Lords seemed to love bananas, even SHE was starting to develop a fondness for them.

"No," he looked at her, "I see your smile."

Clara blushed at that, he'd been doing that the entire time. Everything she saw in the sky, in the clouds, he somehow made about her. She saw a cupcake, he saw her soufflés, she saw a triangle, he saw her skirt, she saw an oval, he saw her eyes…it was…sweet, endlessly sweet.

"Well how about that?" she pointed to another one, "I see…a lima bean."

"I see…"

"What, my foot?" she laughed.

"Well I was going to say a Sontaran," he shrugged, "Your feet are too dainty to look like them…"

She looked over at him to see…he wasn't actually looking at the clouds at all, "Were you looking at the sky at any point?" she had to ask.

"Why would I look at them," he frowned, reaching out to touch her cheek, "When I could look at you?"

She blinked, "Because the sky is beautiful."

J grinned, leaning up to turn to her, resting on his one elbow as his free hand reached out to stroke her cheek, "A sky's a sky," he explained, "There's millions of them on scores of different worlds, but they're all just…a sky. YOU though," he gently began to trace her cheek, "There is only one Clara Oswald."

She reached up and took his hand, leaning into his touch, "There's quite a few of me running around," she reminded him.

"But none of them, not a single one, are YOU," he leaned in, brushing his nose to hers, "None of them are my Link, my Clarana," he whispered, "And none of them ever will be _you_."

Clara smiled up at him, lifting her other hand to touch his own cheek. How did he do that? How did he make her feel so unique and special. She knew there were hundreds of hers running around everywhere, saving the Doctor, she remembered them, but…he made her feel like she was really the only one out there. And that was amazing. With all those different memories in her head, she always worried that…what if SHE wasn't the right Clara, what if she was really one of the others or something daft like that…but one look from J, one soft look, one gentle word, and she believed she was the only one out there.

And then…as always happened, when she thought of her other selves, she couldn't help but feel…scared. All of them, all those memories, she was always running, always scared, always…lost…all of them, all the other hers were lost and it was like her biggest fear playing over and over in her mind and what if SHE got lost one day too?!

"Come on," J whispered, taking her hand from his face and getting up, pulling her up with him, "Follow me."

"Where are we going now?" she asked as she walked with him, smiling at the feel of his hand in hers, the gentle squeezes he gave her.

"There's a part of the Eye that mum found a while ago," he remarked, pushing through some more trees, "It's really quite astonishing, it's like…a natural maze," he added, pushing past another bush to see some rather large hedges before them, "There we are."

Clara blinked and looked at it, "A naturally grown maze?" that was a bit farfetched even for time travel.

"Yup," he smiled widely, "It's over grown, and there are rocks and trees and things that have grown and fallen around it, which actually made it into a maze. It doesn't look it, but once you walk through it, you realize it really is like one."

Clara eyed it, "And…why are we here?"

J just grinned, "I bet you that I can beat you to the other side."

"Oh can you," Clara put her hands on her hips, hearing a challenge in his voice.

"Oh yes," he nodded, "Oh the count of three?"

Her eyes narrowed playfully, not having a clue why he suddenly wanted to explore the maze, but going with it, "You're on."

"Right then," he turned to the maze, the two of them getting ready, "One…two…"

And then Clara took off with a laugh.

"Oi!" he laughed, rushing after her, but Clara had already disappeared into it…

~8~

Clara wasn't laughing anymore as she wandered through the maze…it was…big. It was bigger than she thought it would be and…she hated to admit it…but she was lost. She was actually lost, and she was starting to get worried because…she hated being lost. She was older yes, she'd been able to deal with her fears of it a bit more, but…right now she was on an alien world, in an alien maze, and she didn't know where she was or where she was going or where the exit was and…

'_Calm down Clar,_' she heard J whisper soothingly in her mind.

'_Cap'n?_' she gasped, spinning around, '_Where are you?_'

'_Clar, listen to me…_' he began, '_Calm down…_'

'_I can't! I just…_'

'_Clar, Clar, trust me,_' he cut in, '_Just…take a deep breath…_' he waited as she did, '_Good, now…do you feel that?_'

'_Feel what?_'

'_That sort of…tickle, in the back of your mind?_'

Clara blinked and frowned, before realizing…yes, she DID feel a tickle, '_What is it?_'

'_It's what Time Lords feel when there's another Time Lord nearby,_' he explained, '_It means I'm here Clar._'

She shook her head, '_But it's always been there since I woke up after the time tunnel._'

'_But then it was more like a faint warmth right?_'

She paused in thought, '_Yeah._'

'_That means that there're Time Lords alive somewhere else. It's why mum and dad can't seem to find other ones, no matter how much they try, because they…_'

'_Feel each other and you and me,_' she cut in, working it out, that sort of vague sense of memory hitting her, '_And the tickling means there's one closer by. Like you in the maze._'

'_Right,_' she could feel him smile, which made her smile as well, '_Now, do you feel the Link Clar? Like that tug in your mind?_'

She nodded to herself, '_Yeah, I always do._'

'_Good…just…follow it,_' he urged her, '_Just, let it guide you through the maze._'

Clara took a breath and hesitantly stepped around the corner of the dead end she'd found herself in, following the tug as it led her in one direction. She hit a few more dead ends, but…she had a direction to go in…

'_Good, Clar you're doing brilliantly!_' J cheered in her head, '_Just brilliantly! Oh I knew you would though, you're exceptional!_'

She laughed, '_Shut up._'

'_Never,_' he winked at her she was sure of it, '_Just keep coming Clar…you're close, can you feel it?_'

She let out a breath, feeling the tug get stronger, '_Yeah I…_' she stopped around another corner, SEEING him, "Cap'n!" she shouted, running to him and launching herself at him, hugging him tightly as he lifted her up and spun her around.

"Oh Clar!" he absolutely beamed at her, "You _did_ it!"

"What did I do?" she shook her head, stepping back only slightly to look up at him.

"You," he tapped her nose, "You found me."

"Ok?" she frowned, not quite sure why he was grinning so much.

"Clar," he wound his arms around her, pulling her closer as he leaned down, his nose brushing hers, "You _found_ me. You used the Link to find me."

She blinked, "Still not getting it."

"And you call ME the King of Oblivious."

"Oi!" she whacked him lightly on the chest, laughing though.

He just took her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing it, "It means Clar…that no matter what, no matter where you are, how far away from me you are, no matter how lost you feel…I will _always_ be able to find you. Always," he kissed her hand again, "The Link means we are never alone, no matter what," he rested his forehead to hers, "You will never ever be lost Clar, not ever, not as long as I'm alive, I will _never _let you be."

She blinked, feeling tears in her eyes, he'd felt it, her fear just before, her fear of being as lost as the other hers were. She let out a breath, closing her eyes as she rested her head to his as well, he was right. SHE had found HIM, and if SHE could do it with her little experience in Links and things…she shivered thinking of J trying to find her if ever she was lost…

In fact…

She started to smile, "Catch me if you can then," she whispered, pushing herself up onto her toes to give him a peck before dashing off through the maze with a loud laugh.

"You little minx!" he laughed, rushing after her, the two Time Lords spending the rest of the time, running through the maze, proving to each other that they would find the other, no matter what…and well, Clara especially liked how J reacted when he 'found' her again, she had never been so thoroughly kissed in her life.

It seemed, as much as she hated being lost, he hated not having her in his arms…and he was very sure to make up for that when he found her again.

Angie and Artie, when she returned home later, would spend quite a few minutes asking her why her face was so red…which only made her blush all the more and gently touch her lips.

A/N: I love Jara :) I hope you liked the picnic too :)

Some notes on reviews...

I've got a chapter in mind for Angie and Artie finding out that J's an alien yup :) I can't wait for it ^-^

Lol, I find myself doing that too, watching an episode and wondering where Evy/Proffy/Angel/J are :)

You never know, he might be a future incarnation of J ;) I love Jara too, they're so sweet and innocent. I really wanted to show that in J that he doesn't have the extra guilt that the Doctor has and how that plays out with Clara :)


	5. JD

JD

Clara and J were walking through a park, hand in hand, eating ice creams…or what was meant to be ice creams, on a distant planet, Felspoon, J had called it. The mountains moved! They'd taken a sort of sky lift thing all the way to the top of one of them, played in the purple snow, had a little snowball fight in the process. She had been…still awed by how well she was able to handle the cold and the heat now. She hadn't been nearly as chilly as she knew she would have been, thank you Time Lady biology!

She'd even won!

She was suspicious that J had cheated though…did it actually count as cheating if he let her win? She wasn't sure, but…then again, she might have cheated just a little bit too. It was really sweet. He'd had her, he really had, he'd managed to corner her against the wall of a cabin that had been set up, a large restaurant of sorts that people could have a warm meal in before heading out into the chill again. He'd had her there, without any snowballs left…and one in his own hand.

He could have easily smashed it into her hair and won…but he hadn't, he'd hesitated…long enough for her to coyly distract her using her 'womanly wiles' as he'd called it after. All she'd really done was smile up at him, bat her eyelashes, and trail her hand up his chest to his cheek before pulling him down to kiss him. He'd been so distracted that he hadn't even noticed she'd managed to nab the snowball off him till she was pulling away and smirking at him. He'd blinked a few times, adorably dazed, before glancing at her hand, then her, then her hand again…and just sighed, surrendering as she threw the snowball into his face and ran away, leaving him laughing as he chased after her.

They'd gone into the cabin and had a lovely warm drink, like hot chocolate except it looked more like orange juice. And then they'd run to the lift to head back to the ground, to sea level…where it was really a sweltering day in the summer of the planet. Within moments they'd wanted the chill again and gotten ice creams. She laughed as J swung their arms between them, both of them licking at their ice creams. He'd just looked over at her…smiling…

When he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a blonde torpedo shouting, "J!"

Clara blinked and looked at her now-empty hand, and then over at J, sprawled on the ground with his ice cream held high to keep it from falling…which was SO like him to protect the ice cream before himself, and a blonde woman attached to him, squeezing him so tightly he was turning blue.

"Oi! Get off my boyfriend!" Clara yelled, before even realizing what she'd said, it had just…happened, instinctively, she'd felt this…burning desire to rip the girl off him by the hair for touching what was hers! Which…startled her a little, she hadn't EVER felt that way about anyone before, not even when she'd seen River and J 'flirting' before, well…she hadn't been Linked then, but still! It was…rude…

Oh dear Lord…J was rubbing off on her wasn't he?

The blonde girl in question tensed, before turning…sitting on J's stomach…and stared up at her, "Clara?!"

Clara blinked, frowning as she eyed the blonde woman, the…familiar blonde woman, "Jenny?"

"Wait…did you say…boyfriend?" Jenny asked, before starting to smirk and look down at J, "You sly dog!"

"You heavy cow," he grunted, "JD get off!"

Jenny rolled her eyes and got up, grabbing him by his still raised 'ice cream hand' and yanking him to his feet…managing to take the ice cream off him and take a bite of her own in the process.

"Oi!" J pouted at that, "Get your own."

"I just did," Jenny winked at him, keeping the ice cream out of his hand, and looked at Clara, pointing at her, "You said boyfriend!" she reminded them as Clara blushed furiously, "Oh my God! Did he finally strap on his big boy pants and ask you out?"

"What?" Clara started laughing now as _J_ was the one to blush.

"JD…" J began.

"He did, didn't he!" Jenny gushed, "Oh that is _brilliant_! I told him to do it, didn't I? I can't believe he actually_ listened_ to me for once!" she looked at J, "You really should, Time Ladies are naturally more clever, ask mum."

"Jen…"

"Finally! I mean," she stepped over to Clara and linked her arm with the amused girls, "You should have heard him go _on _about you Clara, how brilliant you were and how brave and how beautiful…"

"Really?" Clara looked at J, amused.

"Jenny!" he whined, nearly begging her to stop.

"Oh yeah," Jenny just smirked, "And strong, caring, remarkable, amazing, even admitted he had a crush on you too. And being jealous of a baby. And…"

"_Stop it!_" he shouted, in Gallifreyan, making Jenny stop, realizing that she was treading a little too close to a line.

"_Don't be cross Cap'n,_" Clara replied, shocking Jenny as she answered in_ Gallifreyan_. Jenny stared at Clara as she walked right over to J and took his hand, making him look at her, "I think it's sweet," she whispered in English, "I love hearing about how you feel about me."

He sighed, resting his forehead to hers, closing his eyes a moment…

When Jenny spoke, "Did she just…speak Gallifreyan!?"

J chuckled, nodding against Clara's head, before turning to Jenny, winding an arm around Clara's waist, "JD…meet my Link."

"Hello," Clara gave a slightly shy wave, seeing Jenny staring at her with wide eyes.

It was…intimidating, to meet the girl again. The first time, she was just…Clara the Companion, and Jenny seemed to like her well enough. And just now, Jenny seemed ok with her, more excited that J had 'asked her out' than anything, so she got the sense Jenny was ok with her being J's girlfriend…but…Linking was different.

Linking was…beyond anything she'd ever experienced.

And she knew that family was the most important thing to the Time Lords, that Jenny was important to J, he was his only sister…that she knew of at least…and that Jenny's opinion, it mattered, a lot. If not to J then to HER. Because Jenny was his sister, his older sister and…she wanted the girl to accept her, to like her, to…think she was a good match for J.

Really…she wanted Jenny's approval, for some reason she didn't know. It was like…she just wanted to know that Jenny accepted her as a worthy Link for her brother.

"Link?!" Jenny's eyes widened even more if that was possible, her eyebrows shooting up into her hairline.

"Yep," J smirked, pleased to see Jenny was now the one struggling to cope.

"But…how?!" she blinked rapidly, looking between them, "Last time, at Sweetville, you said it couldn't happen because Clara was human!"

"An enemy, a Time Tunnel, and Time Lady DNA," J shrugged, taking great pleasure in NOT giving Jenny too many specifics given how she'd been teasing him just before.

"J!" Jenny stomped her foot.

"JD!" he stomped his in kind, mocking her childish behavior.

"Alright, alright," Clara laughed, "Calm down children."

Jenny and J both pouted which just made her laugh harder, "Oh think it's funny eh?" J turned on her.

Clara, seeing the look in his eye, held up her hands, "Nope. I wasn't laughing at all," but even then a chuckle escaped her.

"Oh that's it!" he lunged at her, his hands flashing to her sides before she could move to defend herself…and tickling her as Jenny watched amused as her brother proceeded to tickle his Link till she begged for mercy, and only then did he wrap his arms around her from behind an lift her off the ground, spinning her around as she laughed.

"Oh my God," Jenny breathed as she watched them both turn to her, their cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling, wide smiles on their faces, "Oh my God Siggy…" she murmured, knowing that J had told Clara his true name, she KNEW he had, it was the first thing that he'd tell here.

"What?" J shook his head, looking at her as he wound his arms around Clara once more, just holding her back to his front, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Jenny just smiled at them, shaking her head, "You're happy," she told him, looking at him meaningfully, "You're really _happy_."

J nodded, knowing what Jenny was talking about. In Sweetville, that had been her main concern, that he'd never be happy, both of them knowing that he…really never would if he never found his Link, that he'd never let himself be as happy as he could be, "I am," he agreed.

Clara frowned, looking between them, confused for a moment.

But she had little time to think on that when she found herself being pulled out of J's arms and into Jenny's as the woman hugged her tightly, startling her, till she hugged her back hesitantly.

"Thank you Clara," Jenny whispered in her ear, squeezing her tighter.

Clara blinked and started to smile, hearing the genuine tone in Jenny's voice, she really WAS thanking her, deeply thanking her, "There's nothing to thank."

Jenny pulled away and looked at her as though she were mad, "Really?" she lifted an eyebrow that Clara recognized as a move from Evy, before she felt herself being turned around to look at J, "I think there is," Jenny murmured.

Clara looked at J for a moment, a soft smile coming to her own face as she saw his gaze on her, the wide smile on his face, the sparkling in his eyes, the focus in it, the…sheer happiness of his expression, he really…he really _was _happy, wasn't he?

'_Of course I am,_' she heard him speak in her mind, '_I've got you._'

Clara took a step towards him taking his hand gently, '_And I've got you,_' she agreed, pushing herself on her toes to kiss him, intending it to be a small peck, but J had other ideas, bringing his hand to her cheek to keep her there lightly, deepening the kiss…ignoring Jenny grinning madly off to the side.

"Awwww…" Jenny gushed as they pulled away, both flushing with embarrassment at having gotten so caught in the moment, "Sorry," she giggled, "I um…" she glanced at Clara's ice cream that she'd still managed to hold onto, and their joined hands, "I can see I interrupted a date," she wiggled her eyebrows at J, making him roll his eyes, "I'll just go, and leave you to it."

"You're going to contact River and Uncle Jack aren't you?" J deadpanned.

"Yes, I am," Jenny nodded, "And Aunt Martha and Auntie Donna and…"

J ran a hand down his face in exasperation at his sister's antics. He knew she'd keep it vague, knowing that revealing too much about who Clara was to him too early could be detrimental, he knew she'd leave it up to HIM to introduce her to the family…but she'd take immense pleasure out of telling them ALL that he was on a date with a girl.

"Just go," J shook his head.

Jenny winked at them and jogged off.

Clara watched her go before glancing at J, "Do you think she likes me?"

He smiled at her, "I think she loves you," he told her, tapping her nose, "Not as much as me but…" he paused a moment, realizing what he'd said, again, he kept bringing it up, how he felt about her, even though he'd promised himself he'd wait till she felt comfortable saying it back, but he didn't stutter or stumble or take his words back this time, just…kept going, "But yeah, I think she does…" and then he blinked and looked at his other hand, "And I think she stole my ice cream! JD!" he shouted down the path, but Jenny was already gone.

Clara laughed heartily at that, seeing him pouting at the loss of his ice cream, SUCH a child in a way. She'd have offered him her own, but it was just the cone left, all the ice cream inside having melted in the heat and the time spent talking to Jenny.

"Poor baby," she teased, "Are you more cross that she stole it or that she stole it off you without you realizing?"

"Both," he huffed.

"Are you going to be pouty for the rest of the date?" she asked, knowing that reminding him it was a date would make him smile again…which it was.

"Well…it depends…" he looked at her with a suggestive smile.

"On what?" she challenged back.

"On you," he told her, "I think…one kiss for each minute JD interrupted our date and…one hour for each minute tacked onto the end of it, will make up for it all."

"Oh will it?" she smirked.

"Yes," he nodded, "I'm rather sure it will actually."

"Well then," she stepped closer, moving her arms around his neck as he wound his own around her waist, "I'd be a rather neglectful Link if I didn't do all I could to cheer you up, yes?"

"Just you being with me cheers me up Clar," he whispered to her, "But the other things would help."

She smiled at that, touched that just her mere presence had that affect on him, "I think they'd help me too," she murmured, leaning closer, her lips barely brushing his own, "She did interrupt OUR date after all."

He grinned, "Well then," he mimicked, "Allow me to make it up to you."

And with that, he leaned in, kissing her deeply, his mind absently wandering to how many more kisses he could get out of her before their now-extended date ended…quite a few he hoped.

Hmmm…he should probably thank Jenny later.

A/N: I really wanted Jenny to run into them (lol, literally RUN) and find out Clara's a Time Lady now :) And…I can say I'm really excited for the next chapter I've got planned. I'm going to try to get a Halloween Themed chapter up as a Halloween treat on the 31st so keep an eye out. I'm envisioning...laughter, amusement, ridiculousness, and…a tad of jealous Links thrown into the mix ;)

Just want to say, I'm glad you're all enjoying Jara and their fluff ;) I've got SO much more to come, including...Halloween, family reunions (I think he'll have to tell them now that Jenny's gotten to them lol), their first fight (omg!), and...adventures with Angie and Artie ;) For some reason I seem to have more ideas for this story and AAO than for Recollections and TAOSAT, so this story might be updated 2x a month at times :)


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